Friday, August 28, 2009

It Came From YouTube, Part 3

Aloha everybody!

In a blatant effort to provide more than episodes on this site, I have decided to continue my series of articles showcasing some of my favorite YouTube clips.

1) I dislike commercials as much as anybody (and haven't you noticed that the commercial breaks get a little bit longer every year? Perhaps it just SEEMS longer) but every now and then I see one that not only makes me remember just what they're trying to advertise, but it also provides a good laugh in an otherwise bland TV-viewing experience. Here is one of my current favorites:

2) While searching for music clips to some of my favorite video games, I happened upon this little gem, using the music composition function from the classic Super Nintendo title Mario Paint. If you don't get an instant trip down memory lane while watching this clip, then you're either too young to remember stuff like this, or something might be wrong with you...

3) It should be said that I love good music, whatever its source. And after surfing YouTube one evening, I came across this old clip from the The Steve Allen Show that features a now-classic theme written by the late award-winning composer Henry Mancini. The showcased lineup of soloists include some of the premier players of their time.

4)Continuing our apparent musical theme, I found this excerpt from Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas while browsing about three months ago. Incidentally, this song is my favorite in the entire movie.

5) And we now end this installment with one of my favorite Monty Python routines ever. It's hard to believe that I first saw this 14 years ago, and it still makes me laugh today! This is what comedy it all about.

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What "Otaku" Means To Us

In American culture, the term otaku is used to describe a person with an interest (obsessive, for most cases) in Japanese animation (Anime.) However, in modern Japanese slang the world is used as a broad descriptor, referring to a fan of any particular theme, topic or hobby.

Specific examples include:

Anime otaku - a fan of Japanese animation;

Cosplay otaku - a fan of cosplay (a type of performance art whose participants dress themselves in the style of a particular character or idea);

For purposes of accuracy, we at The Otaku 5-0 Show prefer to use the modern Japanese usage of the word when referring to ourselves. Additionally, we feel that the American usage of the word is similar to the words dork, geek or nerd, and is thus a more offensive word when used in this context.

However, we welcome reasoned debate over this particular issue.

Mahalo,~Totoro (Creator, Executive Producer)

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Welcome To The Otaku 5-0 Show!

Aloha everybody!

On behalf of our podcast team, I would like to welcome you to the current home of The Otaku 5-0 Show, which includes our audio podcast and feature articles covering a wide array of geek-related subjects.

We recorded our first audio podcast episode in August of 2008, and we were quite pleased with the progress we've made. However, we have been on an extended hiatus since February of 2013, but we hope to return to production at a later date.

On each episode you will find uncompensated (we're saying it because we want to, not because we're paid to) discussion & commentary for various entertainment-related subjects. Recently, we have started recording audio commentary tracks for our favorite (and not-so-favorite) movies.

We hope that you find this site to be a pleasant, yet professional experience. As such, we welcome any feedback that you have. Feel free to e-mail us at:

Otaku50podcast@gmail.com

Enjoy the fruits of our labors. I hope you have as much fun listening to our podcast as we have recording them!